Kerala Flood: Odisha sends 240-member fire personnel team for rescue ops

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Bhubaneswar: As a humanitarian gesture, Odisha on Saturday rushed a team of 240 fire services personnel along with 75 power boats to flood-ravaged Kerala to take part in rescue operations.

Odisha Fire Services DG BK Sharma flagged off the mission at the Biju Patnaik International Airport this morning where he said, the initiative was taken after a request for the same from the Centre to the Odisha Government and the team has been sent in a special flight.

“It’s a matter of pride for Odisha that the team is being sent for relief in Kerala. In past our team had won widespread applaud for its rescue and relief works during the landing of ‘Hudhud’ cyclone in Andhra Pradesh. I hope our fire personnel would also play a crucial role in the Kerala flood operation. While the team has been trained to deal with situations arising out of natural calamities like cyclone and flood, it has also been equipped with all modern equipment,” said Sharma.

Notably, taking into account the flood situation in Kerala which is grim, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on August 16 announced Rs 5 crore financial assistance to the state.

While nearly 200 people have died in Kerala flood which has affected at least 12 districts so far, around 2.40 lakh people have been forced to leave their houses to live in relief camps.

 

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